A traffic accident involving a commercial truck (such as an eighteen-wheeler or other large freight carrier) will often be much more catastrophic than an ordinary automobile accident. A typical, fully-loaded commercial vehicle can weigh 80,000 pounds or more, while an average passenger car weighs approximately 3000 pounds. Because of this size difference and basic laws of physics, any collision between a commercial truck and another vehicle is likely to result in serious, even fatal, injuries. In 2005, federal government statistics showed that trucks and other large vehicles were involved in 144,742 crashes, and caused 91,993 injuries and 5,212 deaths.

 
Our law firm has handled many cases involving these commercial vehicles and large trucks.  In some of these the trucks caused wrecks by changing lanes improperly or struck cars from behind.  Others were the result of trucks pulling into a roadway or turning off of a highway and blocking the path of oncoming cars.  A number of these cases have involved Freightliner trucks, which have an extra long front hood that causes cars in front of the truck to be hidden from the truck driver’s view.  We were able to show that simple mirrors, like those used on school buses, could have been purchased to cheaply eliminate this problem.  Large settlements for our clients who had been badly injured were obtained.

Of course, many of the cases our law firm has handled arose out of wrecks involving regular passenger cars.  These collisions have involved many different kinds of mishaps, including vehicles hit from behind, cars turning in front of oncoming traffic, cars traveling too fast for conditions and cars that failing to yield the right of way or passing improperly.  Operator error, due to sleepiness, intoxication, distraction, talking on a cell phone, or changing the station on the radio, are common events leading to road wrecks.  Hurrying to work, to a friend’s house or to an appointment or driving too fast for weather or roadway conditions are also common themes.

Our firm has successfully handled hundreds of motor vehicle crash cases, with client injuries ranging from back or neck problems to broken bones, permanent disability, or even death.  Many of the cases we have handled have involved soft tissue injuries rather than more obvious injuries such as fractures and lacerations.  We recognize that soft tissue injuries, which some people might even consider minor, can still result in significant disability, suffering and lifestyle disruptions.  We are thus proud to assist people injured in vehicular accidents even when the consequences are not catastrophic.  Oftentimes, however, our clients’ cases do involve very serious injury or death. 

In one such case, an automobile driver died and his passenger was severely injured in a head on collision with truck driver.  The truck driver had crossed the center line of the roadway and drove into the path of our clients’car.  Discovery of questionable truck driver hiring practices added considerable value to these cases.

In another highway negligence case, a recovery was obtained for a client who had suffered serious injuries which ultimately required him to undergo hip replacement surgery.  The corporate defendant in this case had allowed a truck with defective brakes to continue in operation despite brake indicator light warnings and complaints by the truck’s drivers to management.

Another such case involved considerable injuries due to brake maintenance neglect by a public utility.  When a very heavy service truck was unable to stop due to defective brakes, our client’s car was virtually destroyed and his body shattered as he was driving, with the right-of-way, through an intersection.  The defense’s attempt to blame our client for his own injuries, because he was driving without a license, was rejected by the Court and fair compensation was obtained.

A substantial settlement was also obtained for nurse injured in a rollover crash on an Atlanta expressway.  After difficult negotiations, several insurance companies agreed to pay their policy limits to the client who had suffered a broken neck in this a multi-car crash.

A policy limits settlement was also obtained for an elderly college professor badly injured in an automobile accident.  The injuries included a closed head brain injury requiring surgery.  Because the brain problem was not discovered until several weeks after the accident, the defense contended that it was not caused by the accident.  After we secured a favorable report on causation from our client’s neurosurgeon, however, the insurer agreed to settle for policy limits.

Another road wreck case involved the death of a fine lady who suffered internal injuries after her automobile left the roadway while trying to avoid another driver who had failed to yield the right-of-way.  In this unusual accident, our client’s airbag had deployed when she first hit a culvert as she left the roadway.   Tragically, the airbag had then deflated before her car crashed into a large tree.  A substantial settlement was paid by the insurer for the other driver.